Tonight I decided to make a deep dish pizza in this new pan I got to make it. I’m a BIG fan of thin crust pizza but I guess we have to give the thick dough some LOVE too. I went to my local grocery store and picked up fresh frozen pizza dough placed it in the deep dish pan and then brushed it with some olive oil and garlic. Then I topped it with some fresh canned tomatoes, shredded mozzarella and basil. Super fast and easy only took about 20 to 25 min. This is the perfect accompaniment with a nice glass of red wine.
It’s summer time, so bring on the burgers. This is one of my favorite burgers that I have made so far this year. Ground meat is mixed with sautéed onions, garlic and baby spinach, then topped with a Ricotta cheese sauce and additional fresh baby spinach. This burger is sure to make your mouth water. The bread I used was a flat onion and poppy-seed italian bread. NOTE: This burger can be made with Vegan meat or tuna. I hope you enjoy!!
Beer Week is finally here. Ticket on sale now at http://www.phillybeerweek.org. This is one of the biggest events in Philadelphia.
Kick off the world’s largest beer celebration of its kind with a festival like no other. Welcome the arrival of the Hammer of Glory from its daylong relay through the streets of Philadelphia, cheer award-winning brewers and watch Mayor Nutter smash open the first official keg of the week: Brotherly Suds 3.
It’s a toast to America’s Best Beer-Drinking City… and it all happens on Independence Mall in the shadow of the Liberty Bell.
Below is the admission information tickets are going fast and some maybe sold out:
Opening ceremony with the Hammer of Glory, The Third Annual Philadelphia Inquirer Brew-vitational awards PLUS the incredible sounds of Josh Lawrence and the New Quartet
Festival admission – $40 – 7:30 p.m. Independence Visitor Center
Don’t miss Philly Beer Week’s opening festival with ample samples from the region’s top breweries. Micros… brewpubs… nanos - they’ll be pouring the finest ales and lagers, including seasonals and one-off’s. Live music with The Flathead Gang, food (additional price), surprises with keepsake sampling cup
VIP Session $75- 6:30 p.m. SOLD OUT One-hour limited audience tasting session, featuring a selection of special beers paired with complimentary beer-friendly food. All VIPs receive a souvenir drinking glass plus gift bag.
VIP with Forum of the Gods Package – $100
VIP SESSION SOLD OUT Forum held Wednesday, June 6, 2 p.m., at Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant Make sure you’re in the room for Philly Beer Week’s signature panel featuring beer world luminaries. Last year’s highly praised Forum sold out early. This pre-sale opportunity guarantees you a seat
Designated Driver – $25 Bring a non-drinking partner to Opening Tap and get home safely. Complimentary soft drinks with Philly Beer Week DD t-shirt.
This is a MUST GO to event for all beer lovers and non beer lovers.
This was this weeks competition and I’m sad to say I did not make it. But what a ride this was so much fun and I met some amazing talented people who I hope to stay connected with. Who knows I might be returning next year for the crown. Check out and see how I got 86.
I love Loin Lamb Chops. Tonight I made some with a Peach preserve, horseradish cream, mustard powder and a little orange juice for the glaze. On the side I had some Sun dried Tomato risotto, and a mix of yellow and green zuchinni and muchrooms. What a lovely combination this was. A very light and summery dish. I just wish I could get BIGGER cuts of the soft and tender loin lamb chops.
Food For Thought: Sun dried tomaotes are ripe tomatoes that are placed in the sun to remove most of the water content from the tomatoes. Cherry types of tomatoes will lose 88% of their initial (fresh) weight, while larger tomatoes can lose up to 93% during the process. As a result, it takes anywhere from 8 to 14 kilos of fresh tomatoes to make a single kilo of sun-dried tomatoes.
After the procedure, the tomato fruits will keep their nutritional value. The tomatoes are high in lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C, and low in sodium, fat, and calories.
Sun-dried tomatoes can be used in a wide variety of recipes and come in a variety of shapes, colors, and tomatoes. Traditionally, they were made from dried red plum tomatoes, but they can be purchased in yellow varieties of tomatoes as well.
They may also be preserved in olive oil, along with other ingredients such as rosemary, basil, dried paprika, and garlic.
I’m a HUGE fan of Chimay beer. The tastes are divine. I just tried for the first time the Chimay Triple. What a great taste with aromas of banana, pear and even caramel with a hoppy taste. This beer goes great with meats and seafood. I give it a 9 out of 10. Chimay is a must try beer.
Rare Vos is part of the Duvel family of fine beer. It has a soft carbonation with aromas of Apples, bananas, cloves and other spices. It is a very well balanced beer, that goes great with some grilled chicken, vegetables or salmon. I give this beer a 8 out of 10.
Here is the 1st round of The 10! shows Local Top TV Chef competition that I am part of check it out. I had a lot of fun the 1st day a lot of nerves were flying high but the excitement is unexplainable. Check out on May 23rd for the 2nd round to see if I make it.
I was so honored to be invited as a VIP to this event and would like to share with you a little bit about it. This is an amazing non-profit organization that comes together every year to support the No Kid Hungry benefit. Taste of the nation comes together with some amazing chefs and culinary experts to raise money so that every child will not be hungry. This year they raised $40,000. Think of how many kids they have helped. I got to meet some amazing people like Walter Staib and Top chef winner of season 7, Kevin Sbraga, who opened a restaurant here in Philadelphia called Sbraga. There were well over 20 restaurants there to sample some of their amazing dishes. There were also wines from Sonoma Cutrer, Specialty cocktails and premium beers provided by Belukus Marketing and Duvel. These are just some of the great things that were at Taste of the Nation. This is definitely a no miss event when it comes around. So I hope some of you will come out next year. If you would like to donate to this amazing cause please visit www.strength.org, I will also keep you posted on next year’s event.
Just wanted to say Happy Mothers Day to all the Mommy’s out there and I wanted to wish my mother Marcia Pereira for being the best mother she could be in always pushing me forward and raising me with amazing values.
